Local seniors perform at Heat games, practice in Pines

When Miramar retiree John Gardiner and his wife, Juana, signed up for a Jazzercise class, they didn't expect it would turn into a six-year gig as dancers for the Miami Heat's Golden Oldies.

Gardiner and his wife are part of the Golden Oldies team for the 2012-13 season. The Heat recently returned to the Pembroke Pines Southwest Focal Point Community Center for a three-hour audition session that attracted more than 60 participants, said Suzy Felix, the center's activities director.

"A lot of seniors participate," Felix said. "They do Jazzercise and Zumba to keep in shape for the audition."

When Gardiner, 76, got started, his only dancing experience was dancing with his wife during their 54 years of marriage.

"I always liked to dance," Gardiner said.

Gardiner and the rest of the Golden Oldies perform at least once a month at Heat games, but they also perform at other events, including Pines Day, the annual event celebrating the founding of Pembroke Pines. The team of 16 seniors age 60 and older rehearse at the Community Center, but they also practice at home with videos of their routines.

The seniors are an endless source of energy and enthusiasm, said Shara Trice, a former Heat dancer who now directs and choreographs the Golden Oldies.

"They have so much energy," Trice said. "They come so alive when they perform on the court."

Trice said the team's performances include multiple genres of music, but they're most famous for their characteristic booty dancing.

"I think they surprise me more than the fans," Trice said. "They get really low to the ground sometimes."

Six years with the team has created many memories for Gardiner, who first retired from the U.S. Navy and then retired from the business world. After a performance on the court at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami in November 2007, Gardiner and his wife were asked to leave the court last. When they did, the Heat presented them with a bouquet of flowers in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. Another highlight was last season when the Heat clinched the championship at the NBA Finals.

The championship was also a highlight for dancer Rosanne Morantz, 69, of Pembroke Pines. Morantz has been with the Golden Oldies for nine years and, like Gardiner, became involved after taking Jazzercise classes. Morantz also counts as a fond memory an all-star game in Houston that drew several high-profile attendees, including former President George H.W. Bush and actors Jamie Foxx and Eva Longoria.

"There were humongous crowds, and as we moved, people parted like the Red Sea," Morantz said.

Morantz, a retired schoolteacher, spends time with her grandchildren when she's not on the court in Miami. But even after nine years, the thrill of performing for a crowd of 20,000 hasn't diminished.

"It always feels like the first time every time that I go on the court," she said.

Trice said the Golden Oldies will soon begin practice for the new season, but their first performance hasn't been confirmed yet.